Finding A Phoenix
by OnePieceDoesExist
Summary: What do you get when you combine a irritated phoenix, a sleeping chef, a small two-man boat, a thunderous storm, and hundred-foot waves? The Straw Hats are about to find out. AU, Alive!Ace, Alive!Thatch, Alive!Whitebeard, Post-Timeskip
1. Prequel

To say Marco was pissed was an understatement. Some no-name pirate had attacked a remote island under Oyajis protection. And, of course, Thatch had to volunteer them to deal with it. They had dealt with the pirates with ease and were on their way back when it happened.

First Thatch had fallen asleep and they had sailed off course, then the cyclone had appeared out of nowhere, and now Marco was holding Thatch in one hand and clinging to the small boat for dear life. He couldn't go into Phoenix form because of the waves that were constantly soaking him. "Thatch wake up!" He yelled at the man, shaking him back and forth. "Wake up, dammit!" Thatch jerked from his sleep and looked around in horrified confusion before looking at Marco, or rather behind Marco.

"Umm... Marco?!" He said pointing at the giant wave approaching them. Marco looked behind him at the wave that rivaled those oyaji had made at Marineford.

"Oh shit..." He whispered as the wave crashed down on them. He was flung under the water and was sinking as his strength was pulled from him. He saw Thatch swimming towards he as he sank into darkness.

* * *

This is my first fanfiction, so tell me if there's any way I can improve them. (Ex: Less describing, more describing, shorter paragraphs, etc.) If you see isn't spelling or grammar mistakes don't hesitate to point them out, I appreciate them!

Also I know this is REALLY short, but its the prequel so I wanted it to be short. Chapters will be longer! Updates will vary as school continues to harass me with homework!

Later Dumplings,

OnePieceDoesExist


	2. Chapter 1

Marco was having the strangest dream. There was a skeleton with a large, green Afro...

And robotic arms...

And deer feet?

And he carried three weapons: a slingshot, a blue pole-like object, and a cane sword.

Not to mention what he was doing. The skeleton was furiously trying to kick him (as well as sprouting arms from the ground?) for "touching his hat" as he said. That's when a giant sunflower came out of the ground and ate both of them.

Marco eyes ripped open. He was sweating as he lay on a hospital bed. 'Where in hell...' He began to get out of the bed only to be pushed back down by a small... tanuki? "A tanuki, yoi?" He said raising an eyebrow. The small animal seemed to get mad and started muttering something about reindeer. "Wait, more importantly, where the hell am I? Where's Thatch, yoi?" The tanuki turned towards the man with confusion at the name Thatch. "Orange hair, large pompadour, yoi?" Recognition flashed through the little guys eyes and he pulled a curtain that was fixated on his right. In a bed very similar *cough* identical *cough* to his lay the excitable redhead. Marco breathed a sigh of relief when something came to his mind.

"Hey Tanuki, how can you talk, yoi?" He said turning towards the talking animal in question.

"I ate the Human Human Fruit... AND IM A REINDEER!" The 'reindeer' morphed into what looked like a large furry man. 'A devil fruit, huh?' Marco thought while watching the doctor calm down. "Well, my name is Tony Tony Chopper! Pleasure to meet ya!" The reignd- Chopper held out his hoof and Marco shook it. "Your friend is fine, he's just sleeping, by the way..." Chopper tapped his hooves together and walked out of the door before Marco could ask where they were.

He turned a dull glare towards Thatch, who was sleeping a little too peacefully. "Oi, Thatch, wake up!" He prodded the gentleman gently but to no avail. Marco sighed. 'He's always like this and never gets up early...' He took him by both shoulders and roughly shook him. "Hey idiot! Wake up or I'm giving you chore duty for a whole month, yoi!"

At this Thatch bust forward and yelled. "I swear I didn't hide Izo's hair products this time!" He went quiet for a second and looked around in confusion until he saw the Phoenix to his left. He smiled. "Hi Marco!" Seeing the agitated look on the older mans face Thatch tried to find something to divert his attention when he noticed that he didn't recognize the room they were in. "Where are we?"

"Finally noticed?" Marco said, standing up and stretching his muscles. "I think we're on someone's ship, yoi. I don't know who's it is only that they have a talking reindeer for a doctor, I think."

"Venison stew sounds absolu-" Thatch began.

"I'm sorry, but I can't have you eating our doctor. Our captain would get mad if you did." The two turned towards a woman who had just entered the room. She was wearing a large sweatshirt and shorts. She had long, black hair that was currently up in a ponytail. In her hands were two glasses of water. She handed them the glasses and sat at a chair, pulling a book out and began to read as they drank the liquid. "I was very surprised when Chopper brought you two in, half drowned. You're lucky we were here when that storm came or you both might have been shark feed." She sounded as though she knew something they didn't. She kept a placid face the entire time, her eyes scanning through the book.

Marco knew something about her seemed familiar about her but he couldn't place it. "Mind telling us where we are, yoi?"

She looked up from her book and gave them a small smile. "Thousand Sunny." She returned to her book and Marco sighed. 'So much for that.' He pulled Thatch to the door and they walked into the hallway. He followed it, trying to get to the surface but instead kept going into different rooms. A empty sleeping room marked 'Boys Room' and a large room called the 'Docking Station' stood out.

He tried one more door. Inside was another woman. She had long, curly, orange hair and was wearing a bra and long jeans. On her left shoulder was a blue tattoo and a few scars. She was looking over a few maps and the triple log pose on her arm. At the sound of the door she turned and greeted the two with a smile. "You lost?" She asked, getting up from her chair. "Here I'll show you the way to deck!"

"Umm, yeah sure..." He replied, following the woman. Thatch followed behind 'oohing' and 'Awwwing' at various things they passed, such as a cyborg and talking skeleton.

The woman opened a door and Marco was temporarily blinded by the sunlight. "Here we are! Oh, I'm glad you guys are finally awake, the captain been driving me insane waiting..." The woman shook her head and went to join the other woman in relaxing on deck.

"That's different..." Marco commented, looking at the grass lawn.

"Oh course! The Sunny is my SUPER creation after all!" The cyborg was back, and he was striking a pose, again. "It wouldn't do if she was normal! The names Franky, by the way bro!"

Thatch, of course, was impressed. He walked up to one of the masts and whistled. "Anyway, where is this captain of yours, I'd like to meet him."

Almost instantaneously the sound of "DEATH FROM ABOVE!" Resounded across the deck and the two Whitebeards were reminded of Ace. This moment was short lived as something, or rather someone, catapulted down, smashing right into Marco.

When he regained his senses he could see nine people circling him. A green haired man with three swords, the redheaded girl, a man with a large nose, a blond with a curly eyebrow in a suit, Chopper, the black haired woman, Franky, the skeleton, and Thatch. One of them, Thatch, was laughing his ass off. A few of the others had surprised giggles. That's when he took in account of the extra weight on top of him. His usual lazy expression was replaced with an annoyed glare.

He jumped up, pushing the extra weight off to his side and turned towards the man who was sprawled out on the deck. He was wearing a long sleeved red vest and had on jean shorts with a yellow sash and was wearing sandals. He had short black hair and a scar under his left eye and a big X shaped scar on his chest. His most recognizable feature was his straw hat that was now on his head. Marco sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Of all ships I end up on this one?" He muttered to himself, shaking his head. He looked over at the grinning teen. "Hello, Monkey D. Luffy."


	3. Chapter 2:

I'm back with chapter 2! I'm so happy, I received so many reviews! Thank you so much for reviews it makes me feel all warm inside! Well, onto the chapter!

* * *

Marco felt his eye visibly twitch as the rubber-headed kid pulled him into yet another room.

"This is the aquarium!" He said, jumping up and down. He began pointing to all the fish and telling Marco which ones tasted the best.

Marco was about to intervene and get to the point of finding their ship when the boy grabbed him roughly by the shoulder, which hurt and Marco deducted that he must have hit it on something- Hard.

The boy pulled him into the kitchen(this room had been the first Luffy introduced him to) and pushed him into a seat. He saw the other Straw Hat's already seated and heard the familiar sounds of cooking being done.

"Hey, Luffy!" Thatch said poking his head around the wall to look at the named pirate. "Your cook is pretty good!"

Luffy just laughed. "Of course! Sanji's cooking is the best! Shishishi!" He looked over at Marco, crossing his legs and putting his hands on his knees, rocking back and forth slightly. "By the way..." He leaned forward. "What happened to you guys?"

At this the orange-haired cook quickly went back to cooking, whistling all the while. Marco sighed.

"I guess I'll start from the beginning..."

* * *

"OYAJI! BAD NEWS!" Marco looked at his approaching crewmate. He was in the middle of telling Oyaji about plans to renovate the men's quarters and was a little irritated to be interrupted. The man reached them and bent over, panting. "Ominion has... Ominion has been attacked!" He took a few breaths before continuing. "By the Red Hook Pirates! They're trying to claim it as their territory!"

Marco raised an eyebrow. 'Jeez that's it?' He put him hands in his pocket and sighed. "If that's it, then I bet we could just send a commander to deal with them real quick and be done with it, yoi."

"Good thinking Marco." The pirate captain had lost the gentle smile that usually rested on his face and his eyes were hard. "Any volenteers? I'd like this dealt with quickly..."

A large pompadour peaked out from behind Oyaji's chair. "Me and Marco will do it!" The cook said hopping out and wrapping his arms around Marco's neck.

The Phoenix looked over at the man who was a little too eager to get off of the ship. "What?"

Thatch looked at the eternal log pose tied around his wrist. It was pointing to the blazing sunset ahead of him. He turned and caught the dull glare Marco was directing towards him. "Aww, come on! Cheer up, we're on an adventure!"

"I don't want to be on an 'Adventure' Thatch." The flaming bird replied, continuing to row. "Do you know how much paperwork I'll- no We'll have when we get back?!"

Thatch laughed it off. "It's not like I do it anyway! I just stick in in between yours so it won't make a difference to me! Besides you should chee- OW!" Thatch nursed his new head wound while throwing Marco hurt puppy eyes.

Marco just sighed and made a mental note to watch Thatch do his work from now on.

They finally reached the island as the sun began to rise. They hid the small rowboat in the brush and headed towards the town. It was a mess and made Marco feel sick. The houses were either burnt or smashed to pieces. On the sign to the entrance to the town was a Jolly Roger that depicted a skull with red hooks in its teeth.

Thatch walked ahead of Marco and bent down, flinging a large piece of wood to the side. He started trembling as he stood up.

Marco furrowed his brows ad put a hand on Thatch's shoulder. "Thatch what's wrong, yoi." Thatch pushed a bulge of fabric into his hands and began to draw his swords. Marco looked at the black cloth in his hands and unwrapped the cloth. Marco saw red.

It was their Jolly Roger, the on that had previously been displayed where the new one was currently present, it was Oyaji's mark and it had been ripped, burned and stepped on.

No words were needed as the two Whitebeard pirates strode off to the small pillar of smoke that circled towards the sky from the distant forest, because they saw red.

"Hahhahahahaha! This was a nice raid, captain!" A Red Hook pirate said, raising his mug of sake higher in the air.

The clearing was filled with drunk pirates. About them were piles of food and liquor. In the center of it was a made with a large red beard and had a hook for a right hand. He wore a typical captains jacket and hat. "Gororororo! Feast to your heart's content, men!" He raised his hook into the air and the pirates cheered.

Crack!

They were quickly silenced when a flash of blue descended from the sky and took out their captain in one hit. It was deathly silent as the crackle of flames dissipated and a man stood where there had previously been a large Phoenix. He had a fierce glare and wore a smiling Jolly Roger on his chest, a smile that was more scary than welcoming, considering the situation.

They began yelling, pushing and shoving each other to be the first to their ship. When they made it there they were greeted with a burnt ship and a glaring cook. "Oops..." Thatch said, tossing a lighter in the air and catching it.

The pirates were freaked out when the cook showed lightning fast speed and cut down half of their men. Those that were left didn't have much time to ponder over this as the were defeated in a matter of seconds by the Whitebeard Pirate's first division commander.

"That's for attacking our turf, yoi." Marco said, before dropping a now ripped up Jolly Roger that had hooks in its mouth, on the ground. "And that's for touching our mark... Let's go, Thatch."

They walked down the beach towards the bushes where they'd hidden their ship. While pulling it out a thought popped into Marco's head. "Thatch, what'd you do with their treasure?"

He grinned and replied. "I gave it to the villagers that were hidden in the forest! Oh, and I replaced Oyaji's mark!" They pulled the boat to the water's edge and got in, Marco in the front and Thatch behind him.

"This was easy..." Marco commented as they began to row out. "Though I wish I could punch those bastards a few more times for touching our mark..." Thatch hummed in agreement and they fell into a comfortable silence.

After an hour or two of rowing Marco began to notice how wild the weather had gotten. Dark, wild clouds hung overhead and the waves were choppy. "Tcch." Marco commented as a 15ft wave approached him. He held the boat steady and traipsed over the wave, almost capsizing. "Dammit that was a close one!"

Wave after wave Marco barely managed to ride them. He looked at his log pose and now knew they were sailing off course, the needle was pointing almost opposite their heading. "Oi, Thatch- oh dear lord..." He looked at the sleeping form of the Fourth Commander and muttered curses to whatever deity decided to give him such luck. "Can things get any worse..." He muttered to himself out of spite.

Then the cyclone came.

Then the sea gods decided to play the 'Who could make the largest wave' game.

Then they decided to put a little rowing boat with one devil fruit user and an other unconscious man smack dab in the middle of it.

And Marco wasn't pleased. No, he was pissed. A sharp wave suddenly rocked their boat and Thatch nearly fell off. Marco managed to grab him last second and was now balancing riding the waves, not letting his brother drown, and trying to get out of this shitstorm all at once.

He couldn't go into Phoenix form because of the waves that were constantly soaking him.

"Thatch wake up!" He yelled at the man, shaking him back and forth. "Wake up, dammit!" Thatch jerked from his sleep and looked around in horrified confusion before looking at Marco, or rather behind Marco.

"Umm... Marco?!" He said pointing at the giant wave approaching them. Marco looked behind him at the wave that rivaled those Oyaji had made at Marineford and silently cursed the sea gods once again.

"Oh shit..." He whispered as the wave crashed down on them. He was flung under the water and was sinking as his strength was pulled from him. He saw Thatch swimming towards him as he sank into darkness.

* * *

Yeah! Another chapter done! So we now have the story behind the tragedy and Marco isn't a happy camper... Poor Marco. Long chapter! Well I wanted to get the flashback done in one sitting so...

Well, someone asked me if Luffy knows if Ace is alive or not and when that will be explained but don't worry. There's a 99% chance it will be explained (spoiler lol) in the next chapter (spoiler end lol)

Don't forget to leave a review! Your reviews just made me want to write more so you've received this chapter as a bonus! (3 chapters in 2 days?! dear lord...)


	4. Chapter 3

So it's been a long time... Just blame school and stupid teachers that give out tons of homework over Christmas break.

Chapter Three, Go!

-(-)-

As he finished his story a sudden thought struck Marco. "Thatch, why were you so eager to get off the Moby Dick, yoi?" He turned to the still whistling chef, who started plating the food. When the chef merely ignored him, he glared. "Thatch?..." The chef started sweating. Marco sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "... Your secret is safe with me, yoi..."

The chef laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Well I might have, I don't know, hidallofIzuo'shairproductsandreplacedthemwithfakes... Again..." He froze and gave him a fake, innocent smile.

The commander silently got up and walked up to Thatch before smacking him in the head. "How many times do I have to tell you not to mess with Izuo and his stuff, yoi?!" Marco sighed. "The last time you did that half of his division ended up lost in some jungle island looking for those things! It took three days to find everybody and Izuo's stuff, yoi!" He hit him on the head again and sat back down.

Luffy was clapping and laughing at their display. "Shishishi! You're interesting, Pineapple-ossan! You too, Pimpadoor man!"

Nami facepalmed as Usopp, Brook, and Franky held in their giggles. "Luffy, it's Pomp-a-dour not... Pimpadoor..." She explained, sounding out the word and pausing in embarrassment before repeating what her captain had said.

At their navigator's own instance of saying the word the struggling trio couldn't contain their amusement and openly laughed, arm in arm. Her face heating up, she yelled at them. "Oh will you shut up already you little kids?!" They immediately went silent, looking towards her as if expecting a fist to fly their way.

"Look out, you've angered the sea witch, again..." Zoro commented before guzzling down food and sake.

"Nami-swan is not a sea witch, you damned Marimo! Take that back!" Sanji stood up from his seat at the table,slamming his hands against it, and leaning closer to the swordsman.

"Who're you calling Marimo, Mr. Nosebleed!" Zoro followed in suit, smirking slightly before retorting with his own nickname for the cook.

"This coming from an idiot who can't even find his way along a straight path during a race?!"

Zoro flushed slightly at the memory. "It's not my fault the pathway kept moving!"

"It was not moving!" Sanji yelled back, his teeth comically turning into sharks teeth.

"Whatever, it's all in the past. I don't care anymore. Why don't you just go back to the kitchen, Number 7..." Zoro replied smoothly.

"Don't keep calling me by that number just because you miraculously got to Shakky's bar first!" Sanji yelled, losing his temper.

"That's it, you picking a fight with me, curly brows?!" Zoro said, standing up.

"You bet I am!" Sanji replied.

They exchanged kicks and slashes till they found themselves outside. Luffy was laughing the entire time. "Go Zoro! Go Sanji!"

"PICK A SIDE!" They both yelled back. Luffy simply laughed and continued to eat and watch their fight.

Marco looked on in confused astonishment. 'These guys are pirates?!' He looked at Ace's little brother. 'If I hadn't seen him fight before, I wouldn't believe it'

Marco smiled when the 19 year old captain cheered loudly at some move the swordsman did. 'He really is like his brother, isn't he?' The Whitebeard Pirate looked over to his friend. Thatch was currently throwing in tips like he was some boxing coach. "Give him a left! Now a right hook! Yeah that's it!" Marco sighed.

Thatch was pulled down into a sitting position by Marco. "Stop it, they aren't even using their fists." Thatch rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Suddenly Marco got serious. "Thatch, something's been on my mind. Do you have the Vivre card to the Moby Dick on you, yoi?"

Thatch got pale. He frantically searched his belongings before sprinting off towards the infirmary. Marco face palmed before taking a few deep breaths. 'I knew something like this would happen... Damned storm!' Marco paused, deep in thought. 'I swear there was something important that I had to do when I got back...'

He was pulled from his thoughts when Thatch flopped down besides him. "It's... It's gone! It's nowhere! Dammit! If I hadn't fallen asleep in that storm!"

Luffy walked over, the fight having died down. "What's gone?" He asked, his mouth full of food.

"Our Vivre card... Oyaji has a bunch of Vivre cards that he hands out when someone goes somewhere far from the ship, so we can get back in case the Moby Dick has to make any sudden travel changes. And we kinda lost it in the storm, yoi..." Marco sighed.

"And?" Luffy replied, quirking an eyebrow. "What's the problem?"

Now it was Marco's turn to be confused. "We can't get back to the Moby Dick without it, yoi."

"Why dont you just get another one?" Luffy said, also confused.

Everyone fell to the floor. Picking himself up, Marco replied. "It doesn't work that way, yoi."

"Why not?"

"It's a mystery, Luffy." Robin said calmly.

"Oh that makes sense! Thanks Robin!" Luffy continued to eat as everyone fell over again. "Anyway if you need to find this Moby guy then why don't you just call him?"

Usopp stood up and quickly rushed to his captain's side. "LUFFY! One does not simply call the most powerful man in the new world, no, the entire world!" Usopp paused and looked towards the two commanders. "Right?!"

-(-•-)-

Chopper carried the denden mushi to Marco. "We hardly ever use the Deneen mushi, so I'm not sure if anyone will pick up, yoi." He started dialing the number he wrote on a piece of paper. "I'm not sure we even still have the snail around. That thing is ancient, it's been around since I joined the crew, and that was a long time ago, yoi."

Marco finished dialing and the snail started ringing. Everyone tenses up (except Luffy, who was still eating.) They waited: Would the person who picked up be the strongest man in the world or a fisherman from some no name town?

"Berobero... Berobero... Berobero... Berobe- Gocha"

"What brat decided to call me?!" Marco sighed in relief.

"Oya-" before he could begin Luffy grabbed the receiver out of his hand.

"I'll be the King of the Pirates!" He handed the receiver back and sat down (eating, may I note) a serious expression on his face.

"Hey, Oyaji..." Marco said, exasperated. "Me and Thatch ran into a bit of a storm and you wouldn't believe where we ended up, yoi... Please note my drained expression."

"Isn't this your normal expression!" Thatch commented, flying back as Marco threw a shoe at him.

"Gurararara! Seems you ended up in quite the place! How's the cheeky brat holding up?"

"I'll be the king of the pirates!" Luffy replied from his position.

"So he's doing well?!" A gulping sound was heard as if someone was drinking alcohol. "So, why the long distance call?"

By now most of the crew had started wandering off, with only Luffy, Zoro, and Robin still with Whitebeard and the two commanders. "We kinda lost the Vivre card you gave us while in the storm, sorry..." Thatch said.

"Ah, sorry to hear that. At least you two made it out alright."

Marco smiled and pulled his arm around the Straw-hatted teen. "We couldn't have made it without the brat and his crew, yoi!"

"I'll be the King o-" He was stopped as a new voice came over the receiver.

"Geez Lu. Is that the only line that comes out of your mouth?! Hahahaha! It's been a while."

Luffy's eyes widened and he swallowed his food. His face brightened and he pulled the receiver close to his mouth. "ACE!" His eyes lit up and he laughed. "It's been two years! Where have you been! Shishishi, you said you'd meet me on Fishman Island but you never came!"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I had some... Pressing matters to attend to. Hahaha!" He paused for a moment. "Anyway, I hear my favorite flaming blue turkey and prankster have found their way onto your ship."

Thatch laughed at the overused nickname and Marco silenced him with a glare then smirked slightly. "You tease me while I'm hundreds of miles away, Ace, but when I get back on the Moby Dick..." He cracked his knuckles threateningly.

Whitebeard took back the receiver on his end back. "Gurarara! Brat, what island is your ship heading to right now?"

Luffy thought about it for a second. "Nami! What's our next destination?!"

The Navigator poked her head out from one of Sunny's doors with a toothbrush in her mouth. She thought for a second before replying with "The villagers at the last island said it was called 'The-Plain-Old-Island-That-Nobody-Cares-About-Because-Its-So-Plain-Island' but I don't know if that's the actual name. If that's all Ill be getting some shut eye, g'night!"

"Good night!" Luffy said waving. "Yeah so, what she said, why?"

"Since two members of my crew can't be making it to us, we'll just have to meet them there. Also I'm pretty sure there's a certain doting older brother that is waiting to see his little brother again, isn't that right, Ace?" Whitebeard replied. A muffled "Hey!" Echoed across the Denden mushi and those present laughed.

Marco answered. "Sounds good, Oyaji! See ya soon." He clicked the receiver and the snail went to sleep.

"Yahoo!" Luffy cheered as he ran around the deck. "I get to see Ace again!"

He stopped running around as a thought occured to him. "He hasn't met Robin, Franky, and Brook yet! Shishishi! Or seen Sunny!"

He ran up to the figurehead and lay back on it. "Shishishi, I'm so excited!"

Marco Walked up to the young captain, not taking his eyes off the sea in front of them. "Don't get too excited, we have to get there first."

Luffy looked towards him confused then followed to where his finger was pointing and saw a marine warship approaching from the front.

Luffy stood up and grinned. "EVERYONE," he yelled, cracking his knuckles. "BATTLE STATIONS!"

Chopper descended from the crows next as Zoro woke up underneath. Robin put down the book she had been reading as Sanji emerged from the kitchen, where he'd been preparing to cook a pot roast overnight.

Franky, Brook, Nami, and Usopp came after being awoken from sleeping. The navigator looked at the approaching ship and sighed. "Can't we have just one peaceful night where I actually get a full night's rest?"

"I could let you try a pair of ear plugs I invented Nami-sis!" Franky offered, checking his cola storage.

"Or I could let you use some sleeping pills!" Chopper added.

"I think I'll just try being the ships swordsman for a day, but thanks anyway!" She replied, readying he climatact.

"Oi." Mentioned swordsman said still yawning.

The battleship was close now. "Want our help?" Marco offered.

"Do whatever you want!" Luffy replied, running towards the front of the figurehead before leaping to the marines ship.

Marco smirked. "Oyaji's right." He started shifting into his Phoenix form. "He is a cheeky brat!"

To be continued!

Yay it's done! That was fun. I'm planning on skipping over their fight with the marine ship since we obviously know what the outcome is but if you guys want me to do it, I will.

A guest review inspired me to stop being lazy and write this chapter already so here is a reply to their wonderful review:

I'm glad you're enjoying my story! As per request here's the next chapter!

Until next time dumplings,

OnePieceDoesExist


	5. Chapter 4

So exams are over, *Loud cheering from high school students* and I decided to write something, and two guests by the names of 'miranda' and 'Balrock' asked for me to do the fight scene so, here goes!

Marco watched Luffy fly towards the Marine ship and land on the edge of the deck, not allowing the marines to board their ship, but not forwardly attacking either.

Immediately after a blur of green flew past him and leaped between the ships. "Tatsumaki!" Zoro yelled, sending dozens of marines flying into the air, unconscious. Marco took to the air, flying overhead to see the battle himself, though the dark cloud above the ship was giving him a sketchy vibe that told him not to go near it.

His instincts proved correct when a handful of marines were hit by lightning.

Usopp got up on the figurehead and slipped on his goggles from his forehead. "Take this!" He let go a projectile that landed itself in the middle of the deck and sprouted into three giant man eating Venus flytraps.

One grabbed two marines and swallowed them whole. If one looked closely they could see their futile struggling from within growing weaker as their bodies dissolved from the plant's acid.

"Cien Flur!" Wings sprouted from Robin's back and she flew to the other ship, cracking the spines of those closest as soon as she landed. "Higantesto Mano!" Large arms and legs appeared scattered around the ship, smashing and throwing marines.

Marco chuckled as he watched the reindeer in his "Kung fu" point as he called it, swinging and kicking at the poor marines in an (in his opinion) adorable flurry. Marco's expression turned serious when he detected someone powerful coming from within the ship. Apparently the others noticed it too because Luffy was no longer sitting on the ground laughing at the marines futile attempts to get past him, but cracking his knuckles and grinning.

Sanji was on the railing of the ship in a flash, leaving whatever was emitting that delicious smell in the kitchen, along with Zoro. The two stepped up behind their captain and silently the rest fell back.

Thatch, who had been 'oohing' and 'ahhing' at the fighting abilities of the youngsters, watched with an eager interest at possibly seeing one of the 'kiddos' as he called them, go all out. Marco flew down and landed next to him. "Enjoying the show?" Marco asked, leaning against Sunny's railing alongside the cook.

"I was just about to ask if you had a good view flying around up there, Pineapple!" He grinned and leaned closer to Marco. "You not gonna help, mother hen?"

The other shook his head and stared forward. "You forget this is Luffy, Ace's little brother and the only reason him and Oyaji are alive, yoi." He kept his head forward, waiting to see what they would do. "I think the Straw Hats can handle whatever comes up here by themselves, yoi."

The three in front of him visibly tensed when they caught sight of who had been below deck. Marco had to wonder who was on this ship, which didn't have any specific features on it like one of the admirals', because he swear Luffy was visibly shaking, and paling.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Zoro pressed, gripping his sheathed swords harder.

"I guess it was just a matter of time before we ran into him again..." Sanji thought out loud, glaring at the marine before them.

In a flash Luffy raced forward, skin pink from his gear second. Not a second later his was punched into the ground. Marco stood forward, trying to get a glimpse of the figure but Thatch jumped on top of him, using his body as a sort of perch.

The color drained from his face and he stayed, still as a statue. "Get off me, yoi!" Marco voiced, pushing the frozen commander to his side, the man staying almost paralyzed on the deck.

Marco was getting agitated at everyone's reactions. 'I don't care if the three admirals stepped out of the damn boat, no-' his thoughts stopped as he set eyes on the man who was currently sleeping next to the hole where Luffy lay, also sleeping. He now realized why everyone was in shock, as he felt a familiar headache set in.

"Gahahahahaha!" The vice admirals laughed, picking his nose immediately after waking up. "Been a while, eh, cheeky brats?" He surveyed the crew and laughed at some of the shocked, or scared in Chopper's case, expressions.

"Luffy why in hell did you try to attack him?!" Zoro asked.

"Well i thought maybe now i could land a punch on him... Moreover, Jiji! Why are you here?!" Luffy yelled, pointing an accusatory finger towards the elder, immediately taking cover next to Zoro and Sanji.

Garp looked around in surprise as he noticed just where he was. "Gahahahaha! Seems I've gotten on the wrong ship, gahahaha! I fell asleep in one of the lower compartments so I wonder where we are..." Everyone, save Luffy, Marco, and Robin, fell over.

Marco felt his eyebrow twitching violently. 'How many more idiots are we going to come across before Oyaji comes?' He sighed and muttered. "This is gonna be one hell of a trip..."

Don't kill me guys! I know I haven't updated in... Anyways! So Garp showed up! ...*insert monotone voice* "yay, suspense, drama, humor, this author has it all"...

Sorry for the shortness, didn't really know how to continue to the next scene from here so I decided to separate it by chapter.

My latest shipment of plot bunnies have arrived! I finally know where I'm going with this story! *dances while snuggling bunnies*

Reviews make me happy and feed my plot bunnies!

Until whenever,

OnePieceDoesExist


	6. Chapter 5

*hides behind Luffy as he deflects everything thrown at me with his rubber body* So, been a little while, huh...? Hehehe

What can I say, I have no excuses except life and band...

Onto the story, my friends!

* * *

With the frozen shock that everyone was in moments before, it was hard for Marco to believe that, in just the 7.2 seconds after Garp had fallen asleep (again,) the Straw Hats had managed to send them flying through the air until the half destroyed marine ship was but a speck in the distance.

Marco turned his attention from the fastly dissappearing ship towards his crewmate, and brother, Thatch, who was full out laughing with the young D.

"Hahahahaha!" Thatch wheezed. "You should have seen the looks on your faces when Garp stepped out of that ship! Hahaha!"

Luffy, if possible, was laughing even louder. "You were much funnier! Shishishi! You looked like a statue, and then you fell over and stayed li-Shishishi-like that! Shishishi!" They were both rolling around on the deck, making those around them join in on the laughter. Soon Marco felt himself chuckle along.

Not long after the spontaneous group laughing fit, Sanji went back to the stew that he'd been attending to earlier.

Still smiling Marco walked up to the navigator, who seemed to be indulged in a book. "Nami, was it?"

The orange-haired woman looked up from the novel and took off her sunglasses, which she was quickly losing need of as night approached, before sitting up. "Yup, what can I do ya for?"

"Just wondering how far off course we got, yoi."

"Oh, it wasn't much, just a few notches west-well, west of where the log pose was pointing anyway. I had Franky fix our course a few minutes ago, so we'll be back on track soon!"

"Thanks, yoi."

"No problem."

Marco walked aimlessly around the Sunny. He didn't have any particular goal in mind, just waiting anxiously until he and Thatch could reunite with everyone.

"Something on your mind, Phoenix-San?" A melodic voice echoed behind him. He turned around to see Nico Robin, one of the few people on the ship he instantly recognized(Well who wouldn't recognize the Devil's Child!) leaning against a door she'd just come from.

"Just a little anxious to get home, yoi." He replied, tiredly scratching the back of his head, leaning against the railing and staring at the quickly approaching sunset. "Those idiots don't know how to not get into trouble..."

Robin chuckled and joined him. "I don't think this ship is much better off! I'm sure you've heard-and seen-plenty of our captains antics for yourself."

"No kidding, yoi." Marco replied, shaking his head. "Ace never shuts up about him. Every time you guys were in the news it was 'Luffy this, Luffy that!' For days after, yoi!"

Neither mentioned his actions at Marineford, but both were thinking about it as they stood in silence for a few minutes. A call for dinner echoed across the deck.

"After you, Phoenix-san."

The two of them joined the others in the dining hall.

-(-)-(-)-

"Really?!" Luffy asked, slurping the stew in bowlfuls.

Marco, having already eaten his fill, had his head propped up by his hand, elbow resting on the table. A smirk drifted across his face. "Yeah, he would talk on and on about you nonstop, yoi."

Luffy began laughing. "He sounds just like Yasopp!"

"Yasopp? You mean the one in Akagami's crew, yoi?"

"Yup. When he got drunk he would talk for hours about Usopp!"

Marco's eyes widened slightly. "You mean he-" gesturing towards the long-nosed man who was messing around with some mechanism. "Is Yasopp's son, yoi?"

"Yup."

"Hmm..."

"OI! WHAT'S WITH THAT REACTION?!" Usopp yelled, causing everyone to laugh.

"I'm joking, yoi! Geez, I see you picked up his sensitivity too..."

"COME HERE YOU-" Usopp was pulled back by Franky, who convinced him that working on their project was more important than standing up for his pride right now.

Luffy, however, wasn't backing down. "You know Yasopp?"

"Unfortunately..." Marco groaned. "Akagami has a tendency to wander into our territory, yoi."

"Shishishi! That sounds like Shanks!"

-•-

For watch, Marco had volunteered. The sky was surprisingly clear and the moon was full. Marco liked nights like these, where he could let his fire dance along his shoulders and he could sit back and bask in the milky feeling.

"Yo, Turkey-taichou!"

And then there was Thatch. "Yeah?" He asked, dispersing his flames and glancing up at him.

"Basking in the moonlight?" He teased.

"Ha. Ha. Why're you up here, yoi?"

"Just relieving you, birdbrain! You've been out here for half the night."

"Didn't notice, yoi. Thanks."

The two Whitebeard commanders parted ways, one falling asleep in a hammock, the other falling asleep in the crows nest. Everybody aboard the Sunny was sleeping and notice the sparkling golden threads spooling themselves around the inhabitants.

The sleeping guard's mind was peaceful, but why wouldn't it be?

It's not like they really expected anyone to slip on the Thousand Sunny undetected, home of the Straw Hat Pirates (and co.) and nearly annihilate them...

* * *

Done! Done! Dooooone!

(See what I did there? No? Okay.)

Hope you like this chapter, even though its not that long...

But... Cliffhanger!

Responses to Reviews:

leska(Guest)

I hope you like this chapter!

ShikiUploadz:

Your wish is granted! Here's the next chapter!

sousie:

Yeah, he's really getting the short end of the stick, just wait till next chapter when th- Sorry no Spoilers!

Don't forget to Review! It makes me feel all fuzzy inside!

Until next time,

OnePieceDoesExist


	7. Chapter 6

Marco woke up and tried to stretch out his sore limbs. Key word: tried. He found himself tangled in a mess of limbs, one that hadn't been there when he went to sleep last night. He pushed the bodies off himself and didn't spare the pile a second glance. He instead opted for getting some fresh air. As soon as he took a step, Marco fell flat on his face. Surprisingly the smack didn't hurt and he swear he almost bounced. "I must be really out of it." The fresh air helped to take his mind off everything. The sea was grey and foggy, the waves splashing lazily against the side of the Thousand Sunny- he's learnt that was the ship's name -and the sun nowhere to be seen, though it wasn't all that surprising considering he usually woke up early.

"Good morning Luffy." He heard a deep voice say from his side. He turned to face it and saw Sanji, yeah that was the chef's name, looking at him. Though something seemed off about the chef, other than the fact that he was confusing him and his own captain. His was smiling, like a mother would smile to their child, not the grin he had when cooking. And he had a book in his hand, one he was pretty sure Robin had been reading yesterday. And his entire demeanor was just more... Feminine. "If you're actually Luffy..." Marco gave him a raised eyebrow. "Luffy doesn't get up this early." Marco furrowed his eyebrows and was about to ask the chef what the hell he was talking about when he shoved a mirror in his face.

And Marco felt all the color drain from his- or rather Monkey D. Luffy's -face. Staring back at him was the straw-hatted teen. "You've got to be kidding me." He could hear Sanji chuckling in a way that sounded strange on him. "I'm just going to guess that your not the chef, but Robin, right?"

"Fufufu. Correct. I was hoping I was the only one, but it seems we have quite the predicament on our hands."

"You don't seem to worried."

"No, something similar happened, but we knew the cause of it that time, this time it's something completely different."

"How can you be so sure?"

"We'll have you seen Trafalgar Law anywhere nearby? Thought not." And when Marco thought that things couldn't get worse, the world just had to prove him wrong.

"LUUUUUFFFFFFFFFYYYYY!" Marco didn't like the way his- Luffy's -body instinctively tensed up. The crew was out on deck in an instant, though they all looked desheveled. He saw them glance at each other and then themselves.

"God dammit Law!" He saw Franky- was it Franky? -shout. "This body again? Fucking again!"

"I'm afraid it wasn't Law, Nami." Robin replied- how she knew it was Nami, Marco didn't know. "Anyway I think we should deal with the matter at hand: An angry vice admiral. Also, Phoenix-San, I think you may want to run, he's after you."

"No he's af-" He bit back a retort as he remembered that he was, indeed in Luffy's body. "God dammit." Everyone peered into the fog, trying to pick out the figure. A smile quirked Marco's mouth as the strawhat's silently formed around him. Their protectiveness was impressive.

And he came, kneeling on a plank of wood and rowing furiously with another. "Luffy! You think you can get away from my fist of love so easily?! Wait till I get you, you stupid grandson!" And then he flew, jumping from the wood and onto the deck, bypassing the defense of Luffy's crewmates, who all ended up in a pile after their new bodies refused to move like their own. Marco just barely managed to block the attack. "Impressive block, but do you think you can keep up with me, you damn brat?!" They traded blows, Marco finding himself almost slipping up thanks to the strange way this body worked in comparison to his own. Finally Garp got the better of him when he went to shift his leg into a birds and it didn't, instead stretching and costing him the time he needed to defend or dodge.

-(thisisalinedammit)-

"GAHAHAHAHAHA!" Marco felt a serious migraine take hold as Garp kept pointing between himself and his body, which was currently housing the idiot of a captain whose body he was currently in, laughing and Marco didn't like it one bit. The little ass in his body was doing everything that Marco would use every inch of his power to not be caught DEAD doing and the little shit was letting Thatch, miraculously the only on not affected by the body switch, take pictures, God damn pictures. And Marco was tied up, courtesy of Garp. The only advantage of his body was that he could fling his foot across the room and kick Thatch in the face when he suggested getting a dress from one of the girls.

-(flashback)-

They had sat down and reintroduced each other, labeling themselves with headband cards. Thatch decided to take precisely over the meeting since Garp was still laughing his ass off outside. "So we have MaLuffy and LuMarco."

"What the hell?" Marco interrupted.

"Their nicknames, so we know whose in who's body and not get confused." He was about to interrupt again when Thatch pouted. "Don't ruin my fun! Anyway, we also have SanRobin, RoZoro, ZoSanji, ChopFranky, FraNami, BroChopper, UBrook, and NamUsopp. Ok did I miss anyone? No? Good."

"Why in hell did the Marimo and Long nose get to be in the ladies bodies?!" ZoSanji yelled. "While I'm stuck in this?!" He continued, gesturing towards Zoro's body.

RoZoro just smirked. "You want to fight on it Swirly?" He laughed when he saw him start fuming. "I think I'm going to go get a bath, it's so cold out here." He mocked, roaring in laughter when The chef got a nosebleed while having all the color drain from his face at the same time. "Kidding, I'm not a pervert like you. Oi, you should make me something to eat." RoZoro made his voice sound sweet as he said the second sentence, laughing as Sanji instinctively danced into the kitchen, but immediately turning sour as he saw the Whitebeard Pirate take a picture of it.

-(backtopresent)-

Marco shook his head, repositioning the card on his head, which had a blue turkey on it(don't tell Marco though), and looking back out to the sea. "Hey." Marco looked over and saw SanRobin, Thatch had gotten them hooked on the nicknames, smiling at him. "Seems like quite the mishap, huh?"

"It's nothing too bad. The hard part is trying to find out what caused this. If I was in my body I could fly over the water and look for anything. As it is, I don't trust the brat to do it." She simply laughed. He made a mental note that it suited her personality. He didn't know why he did, or cared. They stood in silence, watching the waves lap until something akin to a hawk screech came from behind them and hurled itself into Marco's back, causing the both of them to fly into the water.

RoZoro and ZoSanji both immediately jumped in, Zoro cursing as he remembered too late that he couldn't swim. "I guess I'll have to help Sanji. Hmm, I don't think I remember how to swim... Fufufu. This could be exciting." And with those quick words, SanRobin kicked off her shoes and dived into the ocean.

-(linedammit)-

ILOVEYOUALLDONTKILLME

PLEASE!IHAVEALIFETOLIVE!

I haven't updated this story in how many months?.. ... ... ...

Anyway. I've been at a serious drawback at what to do with this story- if you have any suggestions I'll gladly accept them -and was busy writing up other stories like "A Long Way From Home" and "The Golden Sunflower" #advertising and was working on them so I wasn't completely dead. Anyway this chapter is slightly longer than the others so I hope you like it!

Reviews are appreciated!

Until Next Time,

OnePieceDoesExist


	8. Chapter 7

Hi. What? Yes, this isn't your imagination. No, your not dreaming. Yes, this is actually an update for Finding a Phoenix. No, the underworld wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be and I felt a little disappointed. And yes, it feels good to be back from the dead. Oh, the chapter? I believe we should get to it!

-(Finding a Phoenix)-

Marco never liked the water. He'd had his devil fruit for as long as he could remember, so he never learned how to swim. And now he was drowning dammit. And he wasn't even in his own body! He faintly registered someone swimming towards him before he was grabbed by the waist and pulled to the surface.

He took a few raspy breaths before seeing that it was Sanji, no SanRobin. "This wasn't as fun as I thought it would be. Yup, I think I'll be staying away from the water anyways. Besides, I feel like I may fall unconscious." She mumbled to herself, pulling them towards the ship slowly.

A ladder was dropped down and they climbed it. When he reached the top his exhaustion was immediately turned to anger at the rubber headed idiot currently in his body. "OI, Luffy!" He yelled, disregarding the nickname.

"What?" The cheeky idiot grinned, shoving his hat on his head. "Wasn't that cool?! I was a flamey and flying and stuff! Shishishi!" If he didn't stop acting like a twerp in his body Marco swore that he would knock him out cold. And he did, hitting him with a haki covered fist when he started to do imitations of the crew, only to fall unconscious himself.

He woke up minutes later, leaned up against the mast. "What the hell?" SanRobin came over to him.

She looked like she was studying something before she spoke. "Good job LuMarco." Why did her voice sound like she was teasing him? "You figured something out. It seems that our minds are still connected to our original bodies, but also our new ones... For example, when LuMarco hit his own body, he passed out, while Luffy stayed awake during that time. Also, even though I wasn't in my body, I still felt like I was going to pass out when my body was submerged. So I'm guessing that, lets say I were to die in Sanji's body, that I would still live, but Sanji would die and I might be transported back into my body?"

"So you're saying the only way that were getting out of this is by killing each other?!" FraNami yelled before huddling in a corner. "No! I don't wanna be stuck like this forever! Not a pervert!"

"Can't we just cut o-" RoZoro began, swinging one of his swords forward before he stumbled and fell to the ground. SanRobin did the same thing. "What. The. Hell." Why am I in swirly cook's body?!" RoZoro, or now SanZoro yelled.

Robin stood up, looking around. She furrowed her brows, looking at Zoro's sword, which was still in her hand, as everyone else focused on the fight ensuing between the body switched Zoro and Sanji.

"Why should I have to be in this stupid cook's skin?"

"Why do I have to deal with this marimo's 'I don't shower unless forced to' policy?!"

A pause.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU BASTARD?!"

FraNami sighed. NaUsopp spoke up. "It's like they never switched bodies..."

The two were pushed forehead to forehead, not an inch between them as they threw insults at each other. Robin approached them, holding Zoro's Wado Ichomonji. She raised it above her head and swung it at the two. They both jumped back and the sword hit the deck between them. ChopFranky spoke up. "Robin what are you-" She held up her hand.

Both Zoro and Sanji had fallen down and were now getting back up. Zoro's body spoke. "Dammit. I can't believe I had to spend one moment in Mr. Nosebleeds body!"

"At least you didn't have to be in one of some third rate swordsman."

In a moment they were locked together, Zoro having all three swords and Sanji blocking the three with a kick of his own. "YOU WANNA GO?!"

"See?" NaUssop commented. "Wait, their back in their own bodies?! How did you do that Robin?!"

"It seems this was the cause." She replied, picking up a thin golden string. "We just need to cut the strings attaching everyone."

"But we can't see them until we cut them." FraNami said after observing that very thing.

"Can't we just have two people, the mind and body that are seperated, stand side by side and have Zoro cut in between them?" MaLuffy spoke up. All the Strawhats looked at him in shock.

"I wonder if its possible for Marco-san's smartness to have rubbed off on him?" Robin pondered aloud.

"Let's just hurry up and do it, I don't want Luffy in my body a second longer." LuMarco hissed.

"Yeah!" MaLuffy said, throwing his arms in the air. They morphed into firey wings and he shot into the air, his Straw hat falling onto the deck, and LuMarco running to stand under him. "How do you control this thing?!"

"Zoro hurry!" LuMarco yelled, loosing his cool composure. The Phoenix's body began to pulsate an orange light, seemingly coming from his chest. "That idiot! He's about to self destruct!"

"What?!" Everyone yelled, Thatch not being an exception. Zoro raced forward and sent a flying strike in the area in between Marco and Luffy. Luffy's body crumbled for a moment before he looked back up at Marco, worried.

The pulsating was getting faster and faster until it stopped. Everyone held their breath as Marco lowered himself to the ground, shaking his body back and forth to disperse his flames. He seemed drained and immediately fell backwards onto the lawn. A few more cuts and everyone was in their respective bodies.

"OI Marco! WHAT. THE. HELL?!" Thatch ran over and pulled on his jacket. "What do you mean, self destruct?! Why haven't I heard any word of this before?!"

"Chill... Thatch..." Marco huffed out. "There's a reason... I didn't bring it up..." He tried vainly to lift his arms, but they didn't move and inch. "Dammit, Thatch can you... Sit me up, yoi?" He leaned the commander against the railing. "Firstly, I know that you guys would have worried for no reason." Thatch looked away, whistling. "Second, it causes me to die." Thatch snapped back to Marco's face, his own serious. "It's not self destruct for nothing... Thatch."

"What does it do?! Just kill you?" Thatch asked.

"Naw, it causes a damn large explosion. It's basically a build of my entire life force in one blast. It's not as effective as it would be if a child did it, because I have less of a life ahead as I've lived longer. But it could easily destroy all of... Water 7, or Marineford, or the island were currently heading towards."

Everyone's jaw dropped. "That sounds so cool!" Luffy yelled, hopping around. "Could you show me?!"

Nami and Usopp hit him on the head. "WE'RE YOU EVEN LISTENING?!"

"But that does raise the question, how do you know what it does if its suppose to kill you?" Robin questioned him.

Marco attempted to push himself up, abiding up in a standing position, but leaning heavily against the railing. "My friend, her name was Karale, had the fruit before me. She saved me using it, and I later got the fruit so..." He trailed off. Marco saw something sprint across the floor, then another and another. One climbed onto Thatch and scampered onto his shoulder, whispering something into his ear.

Marco stopped. "Thatch, explain." The fourth division commander jumped. "I swear if you're doing it again!" He smiled innocently and looked away from Marco.

"Of course not!" He received a glare.

Nami looked at the- person? On Thatch's shoulder. "Leo?"

"Ah, Namiland! What do you need?" The little person-Leo- switched to her outstretched hand.

"What was Thatch up to?" Marco butted in, a frown formed on his face when he noticed the needle in Leo's hand.

"He asked me to use my abilities to switch everyon-" A clammy hand clasped over Leo's mouth and all eyes looked towards Thatch, who was scanning the ship for hiding spots.

"Thatch, you have three seconds before I throw you overboard!" Marco warned.

"My brother you wouldn't actu-"

"One. Two." Thatch ran. "Three." Despite the aching in his limbs, Marco dashed over to the other side of the ship and hurled Thatch as far as his tired arms would throw him. He looked at the straw hat's surprised expressions, minus Luffy and Robin, who were laughing, And Zoro, who couldn't care less. "What? He knows the consequences of pulling a prank on me. Be thankful we aren't on the Moby Dick right now." He could feel his legs becoming rubbery. "Think I could rest right now? I fewl like I'm gonna pass out."

-(Finding a Phoenix)-

I hate this chapter. I knew what I wanted to do with it, but when I wrote it out, the words wouldn't do it justice. I got this other idea in my head and started typing it out when I remembered I was in the middle of something and that I had to finish this... So, I have the next chapter almost done so I'm going to be posting that one soon as a sorry for this thing of a chapter.

And, to be honest this should have just been tied in with the last chapter. But eh, seen you guys soon,

OnePieceDoesExist


	9. Chapter 8

Here's that chapter I promised. By the way, if you haven't read the other chapter I posted a little bit ago, go read it. That's all, continue.

-(Finding a Phoenix)-

"Gomu Gomu no... Spear!" Luffy's legs shot down and struck straight into the lizard's skull. Another one leaped from the shadows so he spun his leg around and whipped it into a wall. "Dammit, they just keep coming!"

"Tatsumaki!" Zoro leaped forward and slashed nearly ten more of the beasts into a twister. He turned towards his captain, breathing heavily. "I know! We've been at it for a solid hour and we aren't making any progress!" He ducked slightly and turned as another lizard leaped at him.

He swiftly sliced off its head and sent a flying slash towards two more that were charging in the distance. "Where the hell are all these things coming from?!"

"Go, Zoro!" Nami cheered from in between the two. "Keep up the good work!"

"YOU'RE NOT HELPING!" Zoro yelled at her as he blocked a lizards jaws with one sword and cut it down with another.

She crossed her arms and shrugged. "We'll what do you expect me to do?" Pointing towards the lurking lizards she continued. "These things are impervious to lightning so I'm more useless than Usopp right now!"

Ignoring Usopp's indignant cry of 'Hey!' In the distance Zoro jumped up to and cut in half, two lizards that leaped towards Nami. "What the hell does impervi-whatever mean?!"

"It means that lightning has no effect on them, dumbass!" Sanji replied leaping from over the surrounding cliff to send a deadly kick to the brain of an incoming attacker. "I tried to find an exit to this damn cave but this thing stretches for miles! And why the hell do I feel like someone spilled a cup of water on me when I perfectly dry?!"

"Not to mention we've lost Robin, Chopper, Brook, Hairdo-bro, and Birdy-bro!" Franky added, throwing a strong right at a group of approaching lizards before rubbing his leg, which felt as if someone pinched him.

"What the hell do we do then?!" Zoro yelled over his shoulder, their group slowly forming a defensive circle. "We can't just stand here!"

"Shut up Marimo!" Sanji yelled back, kicking another one. "Your blabbering isn't getting us anywhere!"

"Will both of you stop bickering!" Nami interjected, sighing and folding her arms. "Just give me some time to think! And in the mean time, protect me!"

"OI!" Usopp and Zoro said, turning the heads towards her.

-(Finding a Phoenix)-

"This seems to be quite the predicament." Robin calmly stated, despite the fact that the room was filling with water at an incredible rate, there were three devil fruit users present, only one person that could swim, there were suspicious dark figures swimming in said water, and the only exit was a hole on the roof of the cave-room. "I hope we don't all drown to death and have our remains eaten by sea cave creatures."

"Robin!" Chopper and Brook yelled. "Don't say such scary things!"

Chopper sat down on the lifted rock outcrop that they found themselves on and started crying. "I don't wanna die! Where's Luffy!"

Brook sat down next to him and patted his back before mimicking him. "I don't want to die either! Though I'm already dead! Yohohohoho!"

"Ow!" Thatch yelled, grasping his face.

"What happened Thatch-san?" Robin asked.

"I feel like someone punched me, really hard! But I didn't see anything!" He complained.

The water reached the outcrop they were standing on and Chopper and Brook started freaking out, ignoring Thatch. "What are we gonna do?!" Brook yelled.

"We're gonna die!" Chopper screamed.

"Hahaha!" The two turned towards Thatch. "Don't worry, I won't let you drown! I'm a great swimmer, have to fish out my brothers all the time after all!"

"You're so reliable!" They said, stars practically dancing in their eyes. Robin smile, but couldn't help sweat dropping at the act.

She cleared her throat. "Well Id say that it would be time to leave before we can't." She interjected, referring to the water at their feet, before crossing her arms and sprouting a ladder of arms from the hole in the roof of the cave-room. They quickly began climbing.

-(Finding a Phoenix)-

"What's that strange smell in the air?" Marco asked while climbing into the crow's nest, turning towards an unconscious Thatch. He didn't like the way his flames were dancing around him. "Oi, wake up." He shook him. Then again. And one more time for good measure, before plopping down in a seat. "Not again, yoi. Come on Thatch, you aren't the commander with narcolepsy, don't randomly fall asleep all the time!"

Marco stood up and headed towards the kitchen, intent on throwing a glass of water on the fourth division commander. He was a little surprised to find nobody there, but then again he was an early riser. It seemed that his aching from yesterday's (or more precisely Thatch's) mess had all but disappeared. He filled a glass of water and headed back on deck, scanning the area for a raven-haired woman that was always up by now. When he didn't find her, that's when he became concerned.

Ditching the glass of water on a table, he headed towards the boys room. Marco opened the door and just stared.

"Dear Oda, what have I done to deserve such a hell?" Everyone was asleep. He assumed the women were the same way, and was proven corrected when he found them both unconscious in their beds.

He tried many methods of waking them up. This included, but wasn't limited to pinching, punching(only on a certain redheaded commander of course), that glass of water on the deck, and yelling. He didn't touch the ladies, of course. None worked. "What in hell's going on?" Marco asked himself, scratching his head. That's when the maniacal laughter started.

-(Finding a Phoenix)-

"I'm telling you, someone punched me out of nowhere!" Thatch insisted, running down the increasingly smaller tunnel.

"Not to be rude, Thatch-san," Brook started, crouching as the tunnels roof inched lower. "But I think the giant boulder rolling down this tunnel after us is a more pressing concern!"

"But no one's listening!" Thatch whined.

"I'll look at your head when we get a rest!" Chopper offered, hopping over a rock.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news," Robin started. "But I believe that our run is coming to an end." She turned and skidded back, pressing herself against the wall blocking their path. She made two large arms sprout from the wall and push against the boulder in an attempt to stop it. "I... can't hold it much longer..."

Thatch swung one of his swords and cleanly cut the rock in half, stopping its descent. "Ok... Now... That we've stopped.. Can we please turn our attention to th-" The wall that was previously blocking them evaporated, revealing a 'room' filled with water. Thatch caught Robin as she almost fell back. "That was a clo-" They felt something equivalent to an earthquake and gravity began pointing towards the space behind, well now below them. And they fell in.

-(Finding a Phoenix)-

Yes, Marco was sure of it now. This proved it. The heavens had truly and utterly cursed him. What he had done to deserve such torture, he did not know. What he did know, however, was that he really wish he was the one asleep and not Thatch. Why? Because he was currently sitting across from THE Garp the Fist. How did he come to this situation? Everyone was asleep- probably drugged -and then he heard laughter.

Was there really some sort of gas on the ship? Marco took his constant flaring flames as a yes and decided to look for the culprit. So he followed the laughter. And that's when he remembered the former vice admiral was still on board, him having been forgotten about during yesterday's incident.

"Bwahahaha! They're all asleep?!" Garp continued to laugh, not at all concerned for his grandson's safety. "My grandson is so careless! Where is the brat anyhow?"

"If I told you could I be assured you wouldn't hit him with a, what did he call it? A... Fist of love?"

"Bwahahaha! Your abso-" Then he fell asleep. Marco felt his eye twitching. This couldn't get any worse. The universe decided to step up to the Phoenix's challenge and a figure appeared over the Thousand Sunny. It had a long cloak covering its body and a single arm was held out, holding a large ball that seemed to have some sort of squiggling pathways inside, some filled with water.

-(Finding a Phoenix)-

I love this chapter way more than the previous one! I hope you guys liked it! It was shorter than usual but that was a good place to end it, lest it end up a monster like chapter two of A Long Way From Home #ShamelessAdvertising Anyways, two chapters in one day so it balances out! Reviews are appreciated! Peace out!

OnePieceDoesExist


	10. Chapter 9

**I'm back! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Man it has been a while (that's putting it mildly, but whatever.) and it was so hard to jump back into this story and start writing. My writing style has changed a lot in a year (if you've read any of my one shots that I sporadically posted you'll know what I mean) and I'm a little… scared? To start writing this again. I don't want to let you guys down by completely changing. I'm gonna try my best. I had this chapter mostly written before I went on my hiatus, so see if you can spot where I started writing again.**

** Also I didn't properly explain last chapter like how I was planning so I'll do it here. In this fic, the Tontotta's decided to follow Usoland and boarded the Thousand Sunny. They are in the background, taking care of the plants aboard and fixing different little parts of the sunny. Cleaning up crap like that, as well as being the faithful followers of God Usopp. They won't really be important to the story, it was just a headcannon that I want to include.**

**-Finding a Phoenix-**

Marco stared at the creature, who seemed to be emitting that gas from who knows where, before deciding to fly up to it. It didn't even blink as he hovered in front of it, taking a few flaps to steady himself every now and then. So, seeing as the creature wasn't trying to stop him, Marco shifted his legs into talons and tried to grab the ball in its hands, thinking that it probably had something to do with why he was the only one awake. Key word: Tried.

The creature stretched its head forward as soon as Marco's claws barely scratched the object. It was scary as hell, seeing the sharp toothed, grey, eyeless face screaming inches from his own. The scream caused a shock wave that flung him over twenty yards out.

Marco flapped his wings furiously to regain his balance, lest he fall into the ocean. 'What the hell was that?!' He thought, observing the creature that was now sending orange tendrils around itself. He could only worry further as the tendrils made their way onto the ship, searching for something.

**-Finding a Phoenix-**

Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, and Franky were currently running down a straight tunnel. Zoro veered left.

"IDIOT!" Nami yelled, grabbing him by his waist and pulling him back into the group. "We're going straight! How can you get lost going STRAIGHT?!"

"It's not my fault the someone keeps moving the tunnels to confuse me!" He barked back.

"THEY AREN'T MOVING!" Everyone chorused.

"Speaking of which..." Nami mentioned, a tick mark growing on her forehead. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU TWO LOSE LUFFY WHEN HE WAS RUNNING INBETWEEN YOU!" She yelled at Zoro and Sanji.

"It's the shit-cook's fault!"

"What was that, shitty swordsman?!" Sanji yelled back, the two getting in each other's faces.

"You wanna fight, curly brow?!"

"Bring it Marimo!"

The two readied themselves for a fight. CRACK! "Now isn't the time for that, Idiots!" Nami yelled at them, forcing everyone to resume their running. "We have to focus on finding Luffy and everyone else and getting the hell out of here!"

"HAI! Nami-swan!" Sanji twirled. "You're so beautiful when you're demanding!"

She hit him on the head. "Stop it!"

"Hai, Nami-swa-...aan..." He managed to reply, face swollen like a bowling ball.

"Oi..." Usopp murmured under his breath. "Isn't that going a little... Far?"

"Huh?!" Nami asked, turning her wrath towards him. "You say something?"

"Huh?! Me?! No! Never! I swear, please don't murder me!" He covered his face with his arms, sighing in relief when she turned back to the course ahead of them.

They stopped at an intersection that split in two directions. "Which way to go?" Franky mused, somehow crossing his arms.

"Umm... Left?" Nami asked. With nobody suggesting any different, they ran into the left tunnel, Usopp pulling Zoro along as he tried to head down the right one.

They slowed down as the tunnel began to get dark. "I can't believe I'm doing this... Franky, could you?" Nami asked regretfully.

"Of course, sis!" He replied, grinning. "FRANKY~...NIPPLE LIGHTS!" They lit up, illuminated the path ahead. A rumbling had everyone tensing up. "Looks like its coming from down this tunnel..."

They stared, trying to make out anything coming from the edge of the light. Zoro flicked up his swords. Everyone else readied their weapons similarly. A piercing scream. Usopp gulped and whispered. "I've got this I-cant-fight-that-terrifying-creature-coming-out-of-the-dark-tunnel disease..."

Much to everyone's surprise, and relief, it wasn't a monster, but the four people that they've been missing. Robin, Chopper, Brook, and Thatch. The latter three who were screaming at the wave of giant ants that were chasing them.

"Look its Zoro and Sanji and everyone!" Chopper yelled in delight, tears streaming down his face. "ZORO HELP US!" The reindeer attached himself to the swordsman's face.

"Run!" Robin yelled. No one paused as they all turned back towards the way they came.

"Looks like its the right tunnel, then!" Nami managed to get out. Everyone chorused their agreements and turned into the sister tunnel as the wave of ants kept going straight. "What... Did you do... To get that!" Nami sputtered out, pointing to the ants, which were still coming. "... To chase you?!"

"Nothing, I swear!" Thatch yelled. "They're the mean ones!"

Ignoring the Whitebeard Pirate's childish comment, Robin spoke up. "I think something... Disturbed their next and that we were... Just caught up in the herd..." She scanned everyone, still catching her breath before noticing something that made her frown. "Where's Zoro and Chopper?"

Everyone froze at her question then simultaneously groaned. "That idiot..."

**-Finding a Phoenix-**

"Chopper!... Get the... Hell off... My face!" Zoro yelled into the young doctor's stomach. "I can't breath!" He finally managed to pluck his crew member off of him and only then realized where they were. "Where the hell are we?!"

The room was a perfect circle, having a single opening, where they undoubtedly fell from, in the roof. The rest was filled with plant looking roots and stems, wrapping around each other and pushing out to somewhere. In the opposite corner of where they were, Zoro spotted what he could only describe as a girl, who seemed merged with the plants coming from around her.

She opened her eyes, scaring Chopper and unnerving the swordsman. He'd never seen someone with black eyes and white pupils. "What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice barely a whisper. Vines began to creep towards the duo.

Zoro grinned. "Guess I got a little lost..."

**-Finding a Phoenix-**

Marco was annoyed. So much that he was debating the consequences of saying 'Fuck it!' And leaving Thatch and the Straw hats to deal with the creature by themselves. But he knew he couldn't do it. His conscience and all that.

No matter what he tried, the creature wouldn't budge, or let him get close. And those tendrils weren't making things any easier. They had taken to learning how to open doors and were currently trying to locate all of the people aboard the ship. How did Marco know this? Because more than once had he had to cut one of the things dragging Garp, who he had left out on the deck stupidly, into the air.

He had retrieved him and threw him in the boys room with the others. Oh yeah, back to the creature.

A bucket in the corner of one of the hallways gave him an idea. He grabbed it and ran out on deck before transforming fully and grabbing the bucket in his claws. He flew low and gathered some salt water in the bucket before flying above the creature and dumping it over it. The tendrils immediately leapt upwards, shielding it from the oncoming 'attack' only to sizzle and burn away.

Marco grinned. He loved how the sea seemed to be everything's weakness. It made being able to fly all that more awesome. He went to get another bucket when the tendrils sailed out, attempting to grab him. He dodged just in time and diverted his course upwards. They changed direction and swarmed around him. 'Dammit, they've got me surrounded!' Marco thought the moment before they grabbed him, wrapping over his entire bird body and preventing him from moving.

It brought him in front of the thing. The thing was scowling, obviously not liking Marco's little present. It kept him there for a moment before it grinned. No, it broke out in a full on smile, one that he Marco getting goosebumps, if that was possible for birds. Then the tendrils brought him out over the sea. 'Think I'm gonna drown that easily? I'll recover before I fa-' The tendrils slowly lowered, creeping closer to the lapping water. "Fuck."

The cheeky bastard was grinning like a madman. "Payback? You're a sick fuck, you know that?!" It chuckled and he was pushed underwater.

**-Finding a Phoenix-**

"And their all idiots!" Luffy finished singing, hopping down a short cliff and into a deeper tunnel. "This mystery cave stretches on for miles! I wonder where it goes?!"

His stomach rumbled. "Uuuuh, I'm hungry! Why'd Sanji and everyone have to go and get themselves lost?" Grumble. "Ugh! SANJI, FOOD!"

He suddenly had a bad feeling as he reached a spot where the tunnel split up and down. "There's my grandson!" The yell came from the lower tunnel and Luffy barely dodged a Fist of Love as Garp lunged from the darkness.

He immediately ran into the higher tunnel. "You can't escape me twice, Luuuuufffffffyyyyy!"

**-Finding a Phoenix-**

Nami fell to the ground as they finally managed to defeat the giant mole. Everyone had concluded that that was what had disturbed the ant's nest before it attacked, then they showed impeccable teamwork in taking it down. "Where in Oda's name are we?!" Nami yelled. "I'm sick of this place! I want to go back to the Sunny!"

"Umm… G-guys! Wh-what is t-that?!" Usopp shrieked, pointing to something laying beyond a corner. "What is that suppose to mean?! Where the hell are we?!" The other straw hat pirates immediately gained interest and dashed over to see what their sniper was staring at with horrified eyes. They joined him in his shock.

"What?" Nami was the first to break the silence. "That's not an illusion, right? That's real, right?! What… what's going on?!"

There, laying before them, was their ship. Separated by an invisible wall and a large distance was a giant sized version of their ship. At least, that's what they thought it was. Then they saw Marco, a giant sized version of Marco, fly up towards them. He seemed to be looking at something besides them, before he stared straight at them, unseeing. They watched in silence as he morphed his legs into talons and attempted to grab them. A rumbling echoed through the caves and Marco was flung back. A short fight ended with his capture.

"Were we… captured in our sleep?!" Brook asked.

"If we were…" Nami began, looking down at the cold ground in dread and anger. "Then our only chance of escape just vanished."

"What are we suppose to do?!" Usopp yelled, clutching his hair in his hands tightly.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Nami yelled, gripping her own hair and falling to her knees.

"Luffy, Zoro… Where are you when we need you the most?

**-Finding a Phoenix-**

Zoro grimaced as the little girl once again climbed up his back and began putting even more flowers in his hair. Chopper giggled, covering his mouth with his hooves. "Zoro, you're really good with kids!" Even so, the swordsman was about to slice something if he didn't get out of here. Luckily the little girl left Zoro to bug Chopper, who didno seem to mind it as much, more focused on looking her over for injuries.

"Hey, Sana, you mind letting me and my crew out of here?"

Sana stopped placing flowers in Chopper's furs and looked over at him. "You want to leave?" She began sobbing, tears threatening to fall. "But, that means you're gonna leave me all alone! I don't wanna be alone now that's I've finally found some friends!" The plants in the area began getting restless again and seemed to stare ad the green haired man accusingly.

"No, that's not it, I swear! Just don't cry!" That seemed to appease her but she still seemed hesitant. "We want to get out-"

"Wah!"

"-BUT! You can… umm, come with us, I guess."

"Yay!" The strange-eyed girl flung herself onto the pirate with utmost glee. "If I can come with you and see the outside world, I'll totally convince scrivver to let you go!"

"DoNo you have any family or something we can bring you to?"

"YOU'D DO THAT?!" She all but screamed, getting in his face.

"Yeah, if it means getting my crew out of here." A loud bumping sound interrupted the conversation from getting any further as a man wearing a red vest and a straw hat fell through the same tunnel Zoro and Chopper had come through.

"Where am I?" The pirate captain looked around. "Oh, Zoro! Chopper! Wassup?"

**And that's the end! I hope you guys like this chapter! I'll try to update sooner than next year, but I probably won't be getting weekly updates out. It may be summer vacation for me, but AP classes are a bitch and give me summer packets (really their ridiculous) and I have Marching Band and work and working out to do, so don't think to highly of me. Comments are nice.**

**Until next time,**

**OnePieceDoesExist**


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